Nikon Lenses on M240

[Guest]

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For what it's worth and for those of you who may have stock of Nikon F glass this may be of interest.....I recently bought this cheapo adapter off of Ebay thinking that for the money it may be rubbish, but then again it could be worth trying anyway.

In fact it's more than ok. it fits very well and it's good to be able to make dual use of all the Nikon glass I have as well as my Leica lenses on my M's.

Sure I know about the "mystique" of Leica glass, and yes it's pretty special but there's a lot of really great other lenses out there and some laying little used in our equipment drawers, this adapter at least brings my favourite Ai glass into use again on a camera that I love.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401043926083?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Guest JMF]

Good for you to find such an adapter that locks the lens tightly.  I tried a couple of similar ones which left the lens "wobble" and went for the Rayqual NF-LM adapters which I found to be worth the extra expense !

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[keithlaban.co.uk]

I use this adapter with my old 55mm f/2.8 AI-s macro lens. Wonderful fit!

[philcycles]

I have several adapters-don't know brand-and they all hold the lens securely-no wobble. I use a 20mm Nikkor as well as the 28 PC and 35 PC lenses.

[Clactonian]

I paid similar money for one on Amazon. It fits a treat and I'm now happily using my Voigtlander 20mm f3.5 Color-Skopar on my M240 and my Nikons.

[bocaburger]

I have a Fotodiox NF-LM adapter, which feels very solid and high quality.   I have a pair of Photomic FTn's and a fairly extensive set of late-60s Nikkors.  I have used many of them on EOS bodies, in fact I bought a 20mm f/4 non-AI specifically for that (I have a 20/3.5 but it is quite large).  With the M240 I have only used the ones for which I don't have Leica or CV equivalents...50/3.5 Micro Compensating, 180/2.8, 300/4.5.  I have a 105/2.5 Nikkor in LTM, which is more convenient than my F version as the former is rangefinder coupled.  

[Echo63]

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I picked up a Olympus OM to Leica M adapter of ebay, and it has worked pretty well for me - it might be a bit short, as my 28mm focuses past infinity, but other than that, it works beautifully on the M240.

one of my favourite photos of my daughter was taken with it and an old OM mount Unitor 75-150 f4, a terrible lens, but has a look to it that i love.

 

 

it seems the better adapters have closer tolerances and better finish, but the cheapies still work ok.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Echo63

[vladik]

I have a similar (I thing the same) adapter and it fits beautifully on my M and a Nikkor Ais 2.8/135 lens. I could not be happier with image quality.

[Guest]

sometimes overlooked, especially by us Leica aficionados, is how good a lot of the older non AF Ai Nikkor glass was, and still is........

[bocaburger]

I'm continually amused by the attitude shift now that there is a practical way to use those lenses on an M Leica.   I recall in the early days of internet Leica forums (not this one) how anyone who even suggested Nikon made any decent lenses was ridiculed. 

[Guest]

I'm continually amused by the attitude shift now that there is a practical way to use those lenses on an M Leica.   I recall in the early days of internet Leica forums (not this one) how anyone who even suggested Nikon made any decent lenses was ridiculed. 

 

Right........there's a lot of good glass around.

I for one love using my small Voigtlander 21mm, 25mm and 28mm Color Skopar lenses even though I have the faster Leica equivalents. Love the small compact size of the VC's and the lack of wide aperture has never been a problem with the M240 or the M9 / MM's. They are ideal "street lenses", without the bulk of the newer, faster and a hell of a lot more expensive Leica glass.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the Leica glass that I have, but I am wide open to other options especially with the M240.

[Gregm61]

As a long-time F2AS user before joining the digital brigade in 2004, I can definitely see the value in a nice 28mm or 24mm f2 (I still have an old 28mm f1.9 Vivitar original Series One in F-mount), 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4 and 180mm f2.8 ED AIS manual focus Nikkors would be, but I'd probably go for something more like a Sony A series full-frame camera to utilize such an outfit, not a $5,200 or more expensive Leica M body, which I bought for the rangefinder experience and using made-for rangefinder lenses that have DOF scales that are actually usable when I want to use them. I remember more than a few of those Nikkors that had DOF scales that were less than useless and distance settings that were sometimes only really accurate at infinity.

 

The six-bit coding Leica uses is better than nothing, but I have more than my share of images captured with a 6-bit coded lens that shows an incorrect aperture setting in the EXIF data. 

Edited March 21, 2016 by Gregm61

[Exodies]

The incorrectness of the EXIF aperture is not related to the six bit coding. The aperture is guessed by comparing the exposure with a not-through-the-lens light meter.

[STB]

I'm planning to acquire a Micro-Nikkor 55mm, either f3.5 or 2.8, for use on an M 240. This is for photographs of three dimensional objects where I need more magnification than is to possible with a 50mm Summicron, perhaps occasionally as much as 1:2. To focus, I'll be using Live View and, where necessary, an Olympus electronic viewfinder. Two questions:

 

1. Am I right that it doesn't matter whether the lens is pre-AI or post-AI?

2. Will a Fotodiox Nikon F to M adaptor work as well as any given that I don't need an electronic or mechanical connection to the lens?

 

Thanks

Edited April 15, 2016 by STB

[250swb]

Pre or Post AI doesn't matter, and any cheap adapter will be OK as it is only a spacer with a mount on each end. The quality of early Nikon prime lenses makes it very much worth trying, pick the best and they are stunning.

 

 

Steve

[Berlinman]

I don't know the Fotodiox adaptor, but I can recommand the Novoflex. It works fine but I use it not very often. If I go with the Leica, I use Leica glas and don't take Nikon lenses with me - to heavy... I bought it for the 14-24 but use now the Wate. For your case it will work, but try also the R-Macros.

 

 

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[pgk]

I'm planning to acquire a Micro-Nikkor 55mm, either f3.5 or 2.8, for use on an M 240. This is for photographs of three dimensional objects where I need more magnification than is to possible with a 50mm Summicron, perhaps occasionally as much as 1:2. To focus, I'll be using Live View and, where necessary, an Olympus electronic viewfinder. Two questions:

 

1. Am I right that it doesn't matter whether the lens is pre-AI or post-AI?

2. Will a Fotodiox Nikon F to M adaptor work as well as any given that I don't need an electronic or mechanical connection to the lens?

 

Thanks

 

Can I suggest that you also look at the 60mm micro-Nikkor - not the newer internal focus thing but the older AF/MF one which is a later design but still mechanically excellent. Its a lens which I have used extensively with excellent results. System shift means that I am now stuck with Canon 'equivalents' which are of inferior mechanical construction and design and lenses like the Nikon 60mm micro always temp me to shift back but are an insufficient overall justification in themselves (I also have a 60mm Leica which I use instead of the 65MPE Canon - a cheaper and with appropriate tubes very effective alternative).

[biglouis]

Out of interest... can we see some examples of the results of Nikkor lenses on the M240?

[STB]

Pre or Post AI doesn't matter, and any cheap adapter will be OK as it is only a spacer with a mount on each end. The quality of early Nikon prime lenses makes it very much worth trying, pick the best and they are stunning.

 

 

Steve

 

 

Thanks, that's what I suspected. This is a very attractive solution. Will cost about US$120 ($70-80 for a pre-AI lens in good shape, plus $40 for an adaptor) for what is by all accounts a really good lens.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Ernstk]

Those old Nikkor lenses are amazing in terms of optical quality and the way they are built. I have a couple of Nikon Fs with a selection of Nikon glass, all of it around 45-50 years old. The lenses are still smooth as silk and work faultlessly.

 

I have a Fotodiox adaptor arriving tomorrow and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of my vintage Nikon glass on my M240.

 

Ernst